The present invention relates generally to currency handling systems such as those capable of distinguishing or discriminating between currency bills of different denominations and, more particularly, to such systems that employ color sensors.
Systems that are currently available for simultaneous scanning and counting of documents such as paper currency are relatively complex and costly, and relatively large in size. The complexity of such systems can also lead to excessive service and maintenance requirements. These drawbacks have inhibited more widespread use of such systems, particularly in banks and other financial institutions where space is limited in areas where the systems are most needed, such as teller areas. The above drawbacks are particularly difficult to overcome in systems which offer much-needed features such as the ability to authenticate the genuineness and/or determine the denomination of the bills.
Therefore, there is a need for a small, compact system that can denominate bills of different denominations of bills. Likewise there is such a need for a system that can discriminate the denominations of bills from more than more country. Likewise there is a need for such a small compact system that can readily be made to process the bills from a set of countries and yet has the flexibility so it can also be readily made to process the bills from a different set of one or more countries. Likewise, there is a need for a currency handling system that can satisfy these needs while at the same time being relatively inexpensive.
There is also a need for a currency handling system that can retrieve color information from currency bills. Currently, there are a systems that do perform color analysis on bills; however, these systems suffer from one or more drawbacks. For example, many of these color-capable systems are extremely large and expensive. Furthermore, some of these systems employ a color CCD array to scan bills. Color CCD arrays have the disadvantages of being expensive and requiring a considerable amount of processing power, thus requiring more expensive signal processors and more processing time. Additionally, one problem associated with color scanning is a need for bills to be more brightly illuminated than for standard scanning or analysis. However, adding additional light sources adds to the cost of the system and undesirably increases the heat that is generated and the power that is consumed.
Another drawback of prior color-capable currency handling systems is that they employ color scanhead arrangements that are themselves large in size which in turn requires the systems in which they are used to be larger.
Accordingly, there is a need for a small, compact, and less expensive full color scanning currency handling system. A full color scanning currency handling system uses all three of the primary colors to process and discriminate a currency bill or document. The term xe2x80x9cprimary colorsxe2x80x9d as used herein means colors from which all colors may be generated and includes the three additive primary colors (red, green, and blue) as well as the three subtractive primary colors (magenta, yellow, and cyan). Likewise, there is a need for a full color scanhead arrangement for use in such a system that will require less processing power and adequately address the issues of providing enough illumination while at the same time avoiding the problems of excessive heat generation and power consumption. There is a need for a full color scanning arrangement that can meet these needs in a cost effective manner.
There is also a need for a system that can distinguish documents via color. There is a further need for a system that can quickly preselect master patterns. Likewise there is a need for a system that can limit the master patterns compared to the test bill pattern thus reducing the number of no-calls and/or mis-calls. There is also a need for a system that allows high speed, low cost scanning of a wide variety of money and documents including casino script, amusement park script, stock certificates, bonds, postage stamps, and/or food coupons, or other such documents. Finally, there is a need for a system that can provide not only black and white data, but also color data corresponding to the document being processed.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a currency scanning system that uses full color scanning to discriminate and/or authenticate a variety of different currencies, including different denominations within a currency set.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided such a currency scanning system utilizing color sensors that eliminate the need for lenses to focus light, thus reducing the cost and size of the system.
In one embodiment, the system of the invention automatically learns the characteristics of authentic currency from a variety of different currency systems.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided a document handling system for processing documents, the system comprising a first sensor for scanning at least one characteristic of a document other than color, a full color sensor for scanning color characteristics of the document, and a processor for processing data corresponding to the characteristics scanned from one or more documents with the first sensor and the color sensor and for using the data to evaluate one or more document.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided a document scanning system comprising a first scanhead assembly for scanning a first side of a document, said first scanhead assembly including at least one optical sensor for scanning optical characteristics of a document and size sensors comprising a pair of laterally spaced apart linear optical arrays extending a predetermined distance oppositely laterally outwardly for detecting opposite side edges of a document, for determining the length of a document in a direction transverse to a path of travel of a document past said scanhead.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided a document handling method for processing documents, the method comprising the steps of scanning at least one characteristic of a document other than color, scanning full color characteristics of the document, processing data corresponding to the color and other characteristics scanned from one or more documents, and using the data to evaluate one or more documents.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided a color scanhead apparatus for a document handling system, said color scanhead comprising a full color sensor including a plurality of color cells, each cell comprising a primary color sensor for sensing each of at least two primary colors.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention, there is provided a color scanning method for a document handling system for processing documents, the method comprising the steps of scanning full color characteristics of a document, processing data corresponding to the characteristics scanned from one or more documents, and using the data to evaluate one or more documents.
These and other features are provided by a system for processing a variety of different currencies. The system includes an input receptacle for receiving a stack of currency bills to be counted, a standard sensor for scanning the black and white characteristics of the bills in the stack, a color sensor for scanning the color characteristics of the bills, and an output receptacle for receiving the bills after they have been processed. A transport mechanism is included for transporting bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle past the sensors to the output receptacle. An operator interface is provided for displaying information to an operator and inputting information to the system. A processor is also included for processing the data gathered from the sensors to evaluate the bills.